In addition to the old favorites, Milsap found inspiration in a group of newer songs that round out Then Sings My Soul. You know when something is so good and has been written so well that the idea can’t be said any better? The old hymns are just like that they still hold up, and they still make people feel something- they inspire everybody.”

“It did it centuries ago, and it still does today, that’s why Mozart and Beethoven are still popular. “Music has a way of making you feel something in your heart, in your soul,” says the singer. Sonically, the repertoire runs the gamut from the storefront-church rollick of “Swing Down Chariot” (which finds Milsap taking the lead role in a joyous four-part harmony fest) to the stately elegance of “Rock of Ages” (a showcase for his ever-pristine piano stylings). To illuminate that side, Milsap went back to the deep, rich, gospel tradition of hymns like “Holy Holy Holy” and “Amazing Grace”- both presented here in breathlessly ethereal fashion - and transported himself to more modern times for a sweetly soulful “People Get Ready” that would surely elicit a smile from author Curtis Mayfield. For a long time, I was shy about recording gospel music because I didn’t necessarily want to show the inside of my soul but now, the spiritual side of me is really shining through.” “My belief system is what it is, and this kind of music has always been a big part of my life, and to finally have the chance to get to actually put the spotlight on this side of me as a person is unusual. “You know, we’ve all made this journey through life, and I’ve always been more of a spiritual person than to say that I’m one in an organized religion,” says Milsap.

The unflaggingly uplifting double-disc finds Milsap revisiting his North Carolina childhood for a collection of songs that capture a remarkable spirit - one sure to resonate with listeners regardless of their musical and cultural backgrounds.

It’s rare that an artist with more than four decades of accolades to his credit would continue to seek out new challenges, but that’s precisely what country soul legend Ronnie Milsap has done with Then Sings My Soul: 24 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Favorites, his first foray into gospel music.

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